Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) on the outcome of balance assessment. Methods: Ten healthy subjects participated in clinical tests of balance with and without bilateral ankle foot orthoses (AFOs). The following clinical tests were performed: the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance (MCTSIB), the Limits of Stability (LOS) and the Functional Reach test. Results: A statistically significant effect of AFOs was seen in the outcomes of the MCTSIB test (p = 0.042), LOS test (p = 0.021) and Reach test (p = 0.003). Conclusions: The results indicate that the use of AFOs may impede the performance of clinical tests of balance. This outcome should be taken into consideration while performing balance evaluations with patient populations in the clinic.Implications for RehabilitationAnkle foot orthoses (AFOs) are effective means of improving ambulation in patients.The use of AFOs may influence the outcome of clinical tests of balance.The role of AFOs should be taken into consideration while performing balance evaluations in the clinic.
Highlights
Ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) that hold the foot and ankle in an aligned position preventing foot-drop, are frequently prescribed for patients with paretic ankle dorsiflexor muscles in order to improve walking ability and to prevent stumbling (Jaivin et al 1992; Mulroy et al 2010)
AFOs limit the motion of the ankle joint in one or more planes and, are considered as a kind of exoskeleton, the mechanical properties and alignment of which are closely related to functional performance (Gao et al 2011)
A healthy population was chosen to study the effect of ankle foot orthosis which could be implied in the measurement of balance in patient population. 1.3 Purpose of study The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ankle foot orthoses on balance assessment using commonly used clinical tests of balance. 1.4 Significance of problem AFOs are commonly used to treat a variety of pathologies affecting joint stability and neuromuscular insufficiency
Summary
Ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) that hold the foot and ankle in an aligned position preventing foot-drop, are frequently prescribed for patients with paretic ankle dorsiflexor muscles in order to improve walking ability and to prevent stumbling (Jaivin et al 1992; Mulroy et al 2010). While the majority of patients are prescribed with unilateral AFOs (Rubin and Cohen 1988; Fatone et al 2009; Tyson and Kent 2009), there are a number of adults (e.g. with a spinal cord or peripheral nerve diseases) and pediatric patients (e.g. with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy) who are users of bilateral AFOs (Brodke et al 1989; Radtka et al 2005; Rha et al 2010). While AFOs help with the management of various pathological conditions, the role of AFOs in relation to balance control is far from a complete understanding (Ramstrand and Ramstrand 2010). This is partially due to a lack of data on the effect of AFOs on the outcome of commonly used clinical balance tests
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